This invention relates to improved means for feeding the luff of a jibsail into a single or multi-grooved foil mounted on the jibwire, or rod, of a sailboat.
It has been conventional heretofore to provide jibsail or headstay foils having one or more luff retaining grooves or channels which extend longitudinally for substantially the length of the stay, whereby a second jibsail can be hoisted while the first is still set. The first sail can then be lowered, enabling continuous drive while changing sails. According to preference, the foil may be provided with a single groove adapted to retain the luff of one or more sails, or each luff may be retained in a separate groove of a multi-grooved foil. Various funnel type devices have been provided with varying degrees of acceptability to facilitate feeding of the luff into the grooved foil.
The expression foil, as used in this specification and in the claims, refers to an aerodynamically shaped sleeve device that fits over the jibstay and supports one or more sails. The jibstay, which may be a wire or rod, extends from the bow of the boat to near the top of the mast and the foil freely pivots about the jibstay wire or rod with the jibsail as it shifts under changing wind and boat directions. The expression luff feeder assembly refers to the luff feeder, prefeeder and spacer therebetween, as assembled on a sailboat to enable fast sail changing, as in racing. The luff feeder receives projecting end portions of a mating grooved foil and interlocks the foil portions together and to the luff feeder with a single screw to thereby form an integrated foil-feeder-assembly.
Important objects of the present invention are to provide a simple, effective, compact, easily assembled, and economically manufactured luff feeder or funnel assembly for slidably funneling the luff of a jibsail, for example, into a selected foil groove. More particularly it is an object to provide a luff feeder comparable to the grooved foil for receiving the luffs of one or more sails and comprising two major interfitting members that can be readily assembled by relative sliding movement; the feeder members also may be assembled around and secured to portions of a grooved foil by the same relative sliding movement and interlocked with the encircled foil by a single attachment means to hold the feeder and lower end of the grooved foil rigidly together as an integral unit and to maintain mating grooves of the feeder and foil in alignment regardless of bowing of the jibwire and twisting of the jibsail when under way.
Another object is to provide such a grooved luff feeder or funnel and grooved foil combination whereby optimum surface interengagement is obtained between the feeder and the lower end portions of the foil, thereby enabling the provision of a feeder assembly of minimum length longitudinally of the jibwire.
A pair of tubular spacers are removably secured to the headstay for sliding longitudinally thereon at locations above and below the prefeeder respectively to space the latter from the foil and to space the prefeeder from the lower attachment of the headstay with the boat, thereby also to provide means for supporting the foil with the attached feeder conveniently above the prefeeder and for supporting the latter conveniently above the lower end of the headstay attachment adjacent the bow of the boat, such that attachment of either the feeder or prefeeder at a fixed position on the headstay is avoided and feeding of the luff of a sail into the grooved foil is facilitated.
Another object is to provide an improved prefeeder device for assisting the feeding of the luff of a sail into the lower funnel end of the feeder, wherein the prefeeder device is likewise of simple economical construction, yet readily removably supportable on the stay for limited universal pivotal movement thereon at an operative location spaced from the luff feeder and effectively maintained against accidental detachment from the jibwire or headstay.
Another and more specific object is to provide such a prefeeder device which is universally pivotal on a spherical retainer slidably secured to the headstay. The spherical retainer comprises two halves defining a diametrical bore therebetween for slidable passage of the headstay and adapted to be separably snapped together at a diametrical plane by means of interfitting pin and socket elements. The two spherical halves are prevented from accidental separation by means of a two part zonal housing loosely encircling an equatorial portion of the retainer. The interior surface of the housing is spherical to effect the universal pivoting. The two parts of the housing meet at diametrically opposite locations and are keyed together by spring pins resiliently interfitting within aligned pin holes through overlapping portions of the housing parts adjacent each of the diametrically opposite locations. One of the housing parts extends radially from the retainer and is provided at its outer end with a conventional luff prefeed opening.
By virtue of the foregoing, the two retainer halves and the keyed connections may be similar, thus simplifying inventory and also simplifying replacement of worn or lost parts. In the event it is necessary to replace the spherical retainer, one of the spring pins can be removed axially from its aligned pinholes, whereupon the remaining pin serves as a hinge axis enabling the housing parts to be swung to an open position for removal and replacement of the spherical retainer.